Increasing ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION in Uxbridge Monday, September 21, 2015 Trudy Ledsham Suzanne Kershaw
Surgeon General s Call to Action
50% of trips to Uxbridge High School are by car (DMG, TTS 2011)
2014 Share the Road Survey Results 3.8 million Ontario residents cycle at least monthly 67% of Ontario residents say they would be more likely to cycle if their community had more and better cycling infrastructure 68% of Ontario residents support investment in new cycling infrastructure 66% of Ontario residents agree that getting more people on bikes benefits everyone, not just cyclists DATA SOURCE: 2014 STRATCOM SHARE THE ROAD SURVEY RESULTS http://www.sharetheroad.ca/files/str2014pollingsummary.pdf
The Case for Active Transportation in Uxbridge 1. The Trans Canada Trail and the Uxbridge trail network Region s northern gateway to the Trans Canada Trail. 2. Cycling tourism Cyclists and hikers need food and facilities and Uxbridge needs the commercial trade they bring.
3. The Uxbridge urban area is 4 km round, a distance easily biked in under 15 minutes. Within the 4 km, all the basics of daily life are available. Poorly designed regional roads divide the town into five slices Key destinations are difficult to access using active transportation due to regional road conditions.
4. Seniors and students Live their daily lives within the Town boundaries, Aging population in Uxbridge- critical to provide an environment that encourages seniors to maintain an active lifestyle. 5. School active transportation Encouraging active transportation for associated health and academic benefits can also reduce traffic congestion levels.
DURHAM REGION TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE Recommendations Made June 2015 1. Create an active transportation corridor on Regional Road 1 Turn Main St. North through to Reach Street into an active transportation spine joining the Fields of Uxbridge to the town centre. 2. Install Cycling infrastructure Create marked cycling facilities on regional roads in Town
DURHAM REGION TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN UPDATE Recommendations 3. Sidewalk connectivity Ensure that sidewalks are continuous on both sides of all regional roads in Uxbridge because they are key transportation corridors connecting neighbourhoods to schools, commercial areas, and parks. 4. Transit Provide transit routes between Uxbridge and Pickering GO/Pickering Town Centre.
Changes to regional roads offer an opportunity to transform Uxbridge into an active transportation hub Local businesses in the town centre would benefit due to the tendency of cyclists and walkers to spend money locally. Vulnerable populations such as students and seniors would gain transportation independence and the decline in active school travel could be reversed. Increasing active transportation participation would discourage truck traffic from the centre of town and increase the air quality and ambience of the downtown.
Active Transportation Conditions in Uxbridge Main Street North Primary transportation corridor for people who live in neighbourhoods north of Brock Street
Main Street North Trans Canada Trail Entrance Trans Canada Trail Entrance
Main Street North Trans Canada Trail Entrance
Main Street North
Main Street North Fields of Uxbridge
Toronto Street South Unmarked crossing GO Bus Stop
RESPONSE FROM DURHAM REGION (PROJECT MANAGER - TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE) 1. Create an active transportation corridor on Regional Road 1 There is clearly a need for improvements here. The current Regional Cycling Plan (November 2012) identifies a primary cycling route into Uxbridge from the east along Reach Street (Regional Road 8), but not to the north along Main Street North (Regional Road 1). We will examine the feasibility of extending this. Local municipalities are responsible for the construction and maintenance of sidewalks along Regional roads, so we would need the Township of Uxbridge to take the lead on these improvements. 2. Cycling infrastructure The Region only marks on-road cycling facilities on Regional roads that are designated in the Regional Cycling Plan. The routes that you have identified are not designated in the current Regional Cycling Plan, but there is certainly merit in considering adding them to future versions.
RESPONSE FROM DURHAM REGION (PROJECT MANAGER - TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE) 3. Sidewalks It is the Region s policy to encourage the provision of sidewalks on both sides of arterial roads. However as noted above, local municipalities (including Uxbridge) are responsible for building and maintaining sidewalks, even on Regional roads. Filling in gaps in the sidewalk network is a real challenge, because the local municipalities have a number of infrastructure needs that compete for limited funds. The TMP Update Study will be considering better ways to address these critical links. 4. Transit Ideally there would be a Regional route down Regional Highway 47/Brock Road to Pickering. The Region s Long Term Transit Strategy identifies such a route and this will also be considered as part of the TMP Update.
Recommendations for Durham Region and Uxbridge Township Durham Region Assume responsibility for entire regional right-of-way, including sidewalks, aligning with the practice of other GTA regions Engage with the Township of Uxbridge to explore ways to improve the sidewalk/multi-use trail network on regional roads in Town in a timely fashion (e.g., a pilot project) Fully integrate Active Transportation in the TMP, including updating the Regional Cycling Plan into the Master TMP Move promptly to install cycling infrastructure on regional roads in town Uxbridge Township Take leadership role with region in advocating for active transportation improvements on regional roads Advocate for change in responsibility for sidewalks on regional roads and integration of cycling into the Transportation Master Plan Use Park funds to create AT connections to parks and trails Develop an Active Transportation Plan focusing on walking and cycling improvements on municipal roads and programming that promotes Active Transportation Integrate AT into new developments and explore right of ways in established areas as links for AT
ROADS ARE OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC SPACE Let s make them work for people